Sir Lon Ember ap Liam
Fillin Ember of the Smoldering Purlieu

Sidhe Grump
Guardian of the Lodge of Brightorch

Description


Mortal Seeming: ~His handsome fervor radiates a reserved and understated quality. Combined with his academic and athletic duality, Professor Lon Ember fetches quite some attention. Lon even knows how to dress well. He often wears a fine and tailor-made suit in earthy colors. The sturdy man favors trimming his black hair short and simply fashioned. Lon bears himself with noble stride. Deep-brown eyes survey his surroundings with cautious and guarded emotion. Though quiet, Lon burns with unspoken sentiment. The man burdens both sorrow and hope. While he isn't beyond his twenties, Lon seems to have aged much more by the character of his carriage. Lon seems to mourn the loss of childhood's innocence and long for a rejuvenation: sooner than later.~

OOC: Appearance 4 (luminous); Style 1

Fae Mien: ~More than handsome, Lon epitomizes masculine beauty. Were he more interested in the conceits of finery, he might appear downright divine. But as it is, Lon comes across angelic enough. The Sidhe illustrates nobility in his simple voile and royal bearing. Lon wears tan breeches tucked into shiny knee-high black boots. Suspenders hold the slacks up, over top a long-sleeved shirt of fine linen -- an off-white silk perhaps. A tan jacket usually encloses the ensemble, pinned with militaristic patches and colorful bars. It seems that Lon is a soldier of some sort. However, his rank becomes irrelevant to most if the Liam blazon is recognized on his right sleeve. Still, the stoic Sidhe searches for truth and beauty in the mortal world. When he doesn't find it, Sir Lon Ember is learning that he must reach inside. It is these days that the glow of Glamour's passion irradiates his aura. As the light fades, Lon keeps one candle burning in the world of darkness. Smooth, flowing black hair and flashing chestnut-brown eyes dare the shadows to try and snuff it out.~

OOC: Appearance 6 (luminous); Style 1

"As reality renders heroes to folklore, so does it banish heroics and heroic virtues. The pedestrian quality of life will end your dreams long before your heart stops beating.
Only the brave will venture into the past and recover the virtues that cowards and politicians deride today."

"Achievers are not great if their successes only bring them gain. To be a great man, you must be a dreamer, and achieve the changes that worldly banality seeks to subdue."

History


Youth

Knighthood doomed the Ember family ages ago. When the Resurgence regurgitated the Sidhe back into the world, this Liam legacy began small. One man, one knight, entered the banal world. He chose the young son of a major publishing company's editor, Hallis. As Hallis, he inherited his father's well-invested wealth and became an editor as well. But at night, he was a lordly knight in service to a Fiona Baron in St. Louis. He changed his mortal family name to his fae surname, and helped protect the small freehold, an old railroad house, from danger and conquest. Hallis eventually married, taking a gentle human woman, a professional writer, as his bride. Their son was named Lon.

Lon enjoyed his family's humble wealth. He grew up in a large home in the suburbs and attended private school. He never had siblings nor many friends in his neighborhood. His parents (particularly his father) encouraged him to stay aloof from other people, even children his own age. He was encouraged to read and write and become smart. And Lon was naturally intelligent, gifted with literary skills particularly. But there was more to his life than that. The local fae court's Seer promised Hallis that fate chose the boy to inherit the Ember legacy, too. One day, Lon would undergo the changeling way and become Sidhe like his father. And this was ingrained in Lon even from an early age. Hallis held nothing back, teaching the youth all he would need to know as a fey nobleman. Lon learned not to need playmates, because he felt unique and more special than any of them. But he invented playmates for himself, as many children do. His "invisible friends" accompanied him everywhere.

And not only did Lon learn of the Kithain and their ways, but Hallis encouraged Lon to stay active and athletic. One day, Lon's father said, he would be a knight. So he would have to be strong of body as well as mind. Lon didn't learn fencing from his father (yet), but he was encouraged to run and climb on the jungle gym, and even play in little league sports on occasion. His mother didn't approve of the way Lon was being brought up, but she was a very quiet and subjugated woman. As much as Lon loved both his parents, she never left much of an imprint on the boy. For he was destined to become Sidhe, and she seemed too weak for him to be much impressed.

Chrysalis & Tutelage

It came as no surprise to the Embers that Lon's Chrysalis dawned at an early age. He was nine years old when the first signs of that change came. Lon stopped "believing" in his "imaginary friends", yet when inquired about them, he didn't deny their existence. He simply said that they laughed at him and mocked him because they got to go home and he didn't. He told them they weren't his friends anymore for saying such things, and they left. Lon also began to have dreams of that home, Arcadia, so distant-seeming now. Lon's feverish sleep left him sweating and sometimes screaming at whatever shocking images with which his subconsciousness terrorized him.

Even more shocking, however, were when his favorite literature -- C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia -- began to come alive. Characters from the youth novels sprang into being in his bedroom, chatting and roaring and galloping around the room. These spontaneous chimera were rarely dangerous to Lon, but frightened him nonetheless. In late spring, Aslan -- the great lion of the stories -- manifested before him. And Aslan warned Lon that the time was coming for him to awaken, and to put the fantasy stories behind him not as untruths, but as foundation for his future. The fantasies weren't lies. Lon was a fantasy creature himself!

Though Lon scarcely believed Aslan's warning. A month passed and nothing seemed terribly different. Lon was getting accustomed to the chimerical prancing and banter in his room. He kept reading. But then the youth's Dream Dance began in earnest. As he read through the Chronicles of Narnia again for the first time in a couple years, the White Witch suddenly burst into life. The villainess demanded his surrender and devoted slavery to her whims. Lon was shocked but refused. The Witch grew angry and tried to freeze him in place. But on instinct, Lon's family heritage came to bear, and the Embers' call to fame -- their mastery of Pyretics -- battled back the White Witch's ice and snow. His bedroom became a battlefield of elemental might.

But he was just a boy and the White Witch was a very powerful chimera. Frightened, Lon ran from the room as soon as he could, hoping the evil queen wouldn't follow. But Lon was home alone that day for a few more hours and she was coming right out after him. He dashed down the hall to his father's room and grabbed the Flametongue, their ancestral treasure and a deadly blade. As the White Witch charged into the master bedroom, Lon turned and thrust the sword into her belly. He was just a boy and the sword was heavy, but he wasn't trying to swing it. He could pick it up and shove its sharp point into the wicked queen's body. The sword's magic flared to life, incinerating the White Witch with a sharp scream. Lon collapsed, unconscious from the efforts, events, and the flare of Glamour from his Chrysalis. His parents hurried home as Hallis felt an intuitive pull from his Chrysalized son. He knew it was true, for the Flametongue lay near Lon's hands, and the runes etched on the steel glowed mutely to the eyes of the fae.

Although frightened at first, Lon felt comforted soon after the Chrysalis with his father's guidance and support. The following Fosterage lasted until Lon reached manhood by fae standards -- until the age of thirteen. So for three and a half years, Lon studied under his father. He learned those elements of the fae that he could not before, including the beginnings of fae magics. Hallis also brought the childling to court, so Lon could encounter, meet, and grow accustomed to other changelings in the world. Lon watched and learned, always quiet and reserved. His cute face earned him a lot of female attention (even if it was just motherly doting), and he bore it all grimly but without much interest. Although he was now living a real-life fantasy, he still found comfort and pleasure in reading books. At the same time, Lon continued to attend private school. This was his father's concession to his mother, that he remain in school until he graduated. And Lon did, even after the end of his Fosterage a few years after the Chrysalis.

It was a chilly day in February when Lon was brought to court to undergo a test that the Baron, Lord Jared Hunt, and the Seer, Lady Opal Que, would administer. This Naming, he learned, would examine his knowledge of fae life and his skills. This was his rite of passage, his passport into manhood, he realized. So he did his best to succeed. The academic and esoteric elements of the test he soared by with fair ease. Lon was always a bright boy. They tested the fencing skills his father began to teach him when he turned 11, and the duel was with wood swords. Lon remembers earning a few bruises in that match with the boy who was five years older than he. But he held his ground and impressed the Baron enough, evidently. For then he and his father concocted the final challenge.

Lon was sent into the depths of the city, into a homeless shelter. There he had to stay until he found a lost Dreamer, a mortal artist of some sort, and bring him back into the protected folds of the fae. (The nobles used their mortal influences to keep child services out of the way, naturally.) Lon spent nearly a week there until a new homeless person came to the shelter. Lon soon discovered that the young man was a poet struggling to make a living with his talented writing. But with his financial slump, he couldn't even afford to feed himself. His writing had suffered so much that he couldn't get anything out. And he was so very artistic that he had no patience for a "9-5" job that would have probably subsumed him with Banality anyway. Lon, though just a boy, did his best to talk to the young man, Darrel. But it wasn't what Lon said that finally shocked Darrel out of his depression and hopelessness. It was how Lon spoke. Darrel felt the passion and vigor in Lon's urgent words. And the young man was revitalized, as Lon reminded him of his own childhood and youth. The re-energized poet scrambled out of the shelter and went to work long enough to find his own place, even while he struggled to write and write well.

Early Years

So it seemed that Lon passed the Fior-Reigh. Before the Baron, Lon was recognized as a true nobleman. His father laid the family coat-of-arms on his shoulders and called him squire of House Liam. The Seer led the proper Sidhe rituals of eld, and Lon was Sained that summer. The weekend yielded a great revel that Hallis threw in his son's honor. A great party at the court enjoyed much fun, partying, drinking, and flirting. A young Satyress, taken by Lon's quiet but handsome face, lured the boy away from the revel during that weekend. But before the pair went beyond kissing, Lon was suddenly filled with disgust. He wasn't disgusted by the girl, or her Satyr features. He just didn't feel…ready. Lon longed for romance and love, not a moment's passion. Saddened but gracious, the Satyress went on her way. Lon's father (who was aware of the Satyress' attempted seduction and had no problem with his son undergoing another "rite of passage") was somewhat perturbed that his son brushed the girl off. The parties continued but mostly without the boy for whom they were thrown. He was much more content with his books, and he retreated into his literature as the revel concluded. Hallis shrugged, and the business of life went on.

And Lon stay focused on his studies. He continued to attend (private) school, gearing his academic commitment to English and literature. As a squire of House Liam, the young Sidhe learned to help his father whenever he was summoned. He would help keep his father's equipment in good order. He cleaned Flametongue, the sword he would one day inherit. Lon would run minor errands for his knightly sire, like a page. And sometimes he would just break his young back performing laborious chores his father didn't feel like bothering (but that's just a father delegating work to his kid!). He also continued his knightly training and fey lore, his astute mind helping to carve a great warrior from the youth. On occasion, his skills were tested. When dangerous chimera roamed the streets by the railroad house, he and his father, as well as other changelings, went on the hunt. And he clashed with classic goblins and trash monsters alike.

But Lon also continued to avoid any sort of social life. Too wrapped up in his fantasy world of books and dreams, he lacked interest in pals, never mind a steady girlfriend. It's not that girls didn't find Lon attractive -- he was quite "cute", in fact. But he simply eluded social interaction in school and at home, beyond what the adults required. And while his mother worried, his father did not. For all his lonely solitude, Lon seemed perfectly adjusted and content. And nor was he any more of a daydreamer than one would expect a Sidhe to be. Thus, while he was rather whimsical, he was pragmatic enough to survive in everyday life. Thus, his folks were fine when he accepted a scholarship after high school graduation to Bard's College in upstate New York!

There Lon majored in Literature, with a minor in general English. He was surrounded by fellow lovers of the language, writing, and stories. And yet he remained aloof still. No friends, no fun, and now, no family. Lon was truly alone in this distant place, yet he didn't feel alone. Immersed in his love for literature, Lon dedicated himself to his studies and soared through the school's flexible requirements. For approximately six years, Lon grew into manhood. His handsome features seemed to clash with his quiet and stoic features. The squire knew his worth, he knew his future -- to bear the Flametongue and his family's honor -- and he was here for an education only. He wasn't here to make friends, to find his future wife, or to enjoy a confidence boost from published writers regarding his own poetic endeavors. Lon was there for the degree and that was it, because he wanted to teach literature as his human trade. He pushed through his Bachelor's and aimed for the Master's. That, too, would be obtained. Lon stayed in Bard's as long as he could, and intended to achieve his Doctorate.

However, misfortune struck his family name. His father, Hallis Ember, was reported murdered. The Fiona Baron was displaced from his power, and Gwydion were taking over. Hallis was simply killed in the crossfire of this hostile political upset. Unseelie took advantage of the problem and ran afoul, and Hallis could not hold back the tide of villainry. The Baron managed to rescue the Flametongue and Hallis' body and escape with his own skin. Lon abandoned college mid-semester and returned home. He came to the court to find a new Baron sitting on the throne. The squire refused to bend knee to the Gwydion. The new lord was honorable enough at least to pass on the Flametongue to its rightful heir.

But the new Baron also demanded Lon's allegiance. He expected Lon to serve the same court under new leadership, but Lon refused. And so, he was banished from that Barony. Lon intended to leave St. Louis altogether. Before he did, the old Seer, Lady Opal, visited him in secret. She told him what exactly happened to his father. Lon was deeply saddened and secretly infuriated at the injustice of that…murdering rabble. The Seer Sained him as a knight, as his father's successor. And upon Lon's secret knighting, the Flametongue blazed to life with recognition. He thanked Lady Opal deeply and left the city.

Later Years

And Kansas City became Lon's new home. Lon was just knighted and was already a grump, having just turned 25 in early 2000. Although he lacked his Doctorate, Kansas City University respected his Master's degree from Bard's and hired him on as a new literature instructor. Both American and English literature were his courses, and since at least one was a required credit for most students, everyone got to deal with the sullen and withdrawn Lon at least one semester. As quiet and reserved as Lon was, he clearly knew his material inside and out. (Plus, he was hands-down the cutest professor in the university!)

However, as Lon got older, he searched for a new fetish. He didn't even have his father anymore. So the Liam turned to alcohol. A good, stiff drink accompanied every dinner. Soon his drinking accompanied every meal: even breakfast. Though he was never publicly drunken, Lon let himself be inebriated at home alone, almost every night before bed. The thrill of the alcoholic buzz kept him from seeking the short cut home to Arcadia…by wandering into the Dreaming and never coming out.

But liquor was hardly the only thing that kept Lon from effecting self-destruction. The knight felt bound and obligated. Honor and right stayed Lon in that place. And in his duty as knight-errant, Lon protected the student base at KCU. He wandered the grounds at night until he was too tired to patrol further (some time after midnight usually). He always wore a long overcoat, even in the hot summers, during these "guardianships" -- the better to conceal Flametongue. It earned him a reputation as eccentric to say the least. Lon never gave up his knightly aspirations. And somewhere, deep inside, the passion and hunger to live out his childhood fantasies, burned brightly.

And Lon's worth was put to the test often. When he first began to patrol and look out for the students of the university, especially the Dreamers, he encountered another changeling professor. This one, however, was even more sour and dour than he -- a Nocker who taught in the technical department. And unlike Lon, the Nocker, Jerry Powell, was highly Unseelie and valued Dreamers little…except for occasional Ravaging fix. So Lon went before the Nocker one night in his shop and ordered the other fae to leave. He ordered Powell to quit the university and take his disregard elsewhere. Powell scoffed and battle was joined -- the Nocker sent golems at the knight. Flametongue was bared and while Lon took his licks and bruises, the Nocker boggled as his precious creations were all destroyed by the powerful knight. The Nocker himself barely escaped Lon's wrath, and cauterized scars on both cheeks persuaded the Unseelie to follow the Sidhe's demands.

Later, in 2001, Lon clashed with his first Prodigal foe. A vampire was stalking the students, leaving a certain type -- young, intellectual women -- bedridden for days from blood loss. They recalled nothing of the attacks, but Lon recognized the signs and compared them to the stories he was told years ago under his father's tutelage. So he began to extend his patrols later into the night and stumbled across the culprit after a month. The vampire was confronted by the angry knight bearing a flaming sword. Terrified, the vampire (Ventrue, of course) sent a wave of ghoulish thugs at Lon. But the knight's training and Wyrded might staggered the opposition. Of the four thugs that assaulted him, one would never get up again, and the other three knew better. The Ventrue tried to terrify Lon in equal measure, but the Sidhe was already enraged, and the Dragon's Ire made the leech's knees quiver. He fled the sight of that guardian who was clearly reminiscent of the angel guarding the Garden of Eden.

Recent Years

But Lon was not always victorious. In 2003, another colleague turned out to be more than he appeared. Another Prodigal, this time Lon discovered he was a magus of the ancient Hermetic order. Dr. Hank Flemming, discovered Lon's true nature at the same time. And this go-around, Lon learned he had to protect himself! The Hermetic was greedy for the Sidhe's essence to use in his strange, arcane rituals. He was bent on subjugating Lon for his magickal intentions. Lon refused, but this mage worried him -- so he challenged the Hermetic to a bi-level duel. The first round would be magical and the second physical. Dr. Flemming may have been a mathematician, but he was no weakling in physique. So Lon knew this battle could be tough regardless. The magical duel ended much the way Lon feared -- the Hermetic's power was too great, and Lon crumbled under the ferocious elemental onslaught.

But he was far from beaten. The following physical battle did not turn out the way Lon expected, however. In fact, the mage proved far stronger than he physically appeared. And Lon knew, as the mage's blows battered him down and made him bleed, that the sorcerer cheated and was using magic to enhance his physical capabilities. But it was too late: he was beaten. He might have vanished from the face of the earth forever, locked up in some laboratory (and possibly dismembered and pickled), had Dr. Flemming's superiors not intervened. No, not the university dean, nor the head of the Mathematics Department. Hank's other superiors. An older mage came out of practically nowhere and demanded that Flemming end the nonsense. Lon just laid there in half-consciousness, dimly aware of Flemming being chided for the foolish display of magic on the university grounds. Flemming endangered his position and the Order of Hermes' influence at whole at KCU. Lon wasn't sure how, but the older mage touched him with some strange poultice and he felt restored. He slowly rose to his feet and was given a formal apology from the older mage (who never identified himself) as well as a grudging apology from Hank. And Lon, to this day, was glad that Dr. Flemming soon transferred out of KCU.

Life Studies

Overall, Lon pushed through his years at KCU stoically and (fairly) quietly. The Sidhe did not always just deal with supernatural threats. Sometimes the knight broke up fights between university students, or put the fear of God into a particularly asinine youth. Regardless, he was always intervening on the students' behalf. Despite his cynicism, Lon never abandoned the knightly legacies of House Liam.

After meeting and falling in love with one of his students, who was a Pooka theatre major, his life started to look up at least a little. Julianna's studies would require her to move back to San Francisco. Lon was so hooked, and fed up with where his life wasn't going in Kansas City, that he readily joined his lover. But no matter where he was, where he taught, where he lived, Lon never stopped yearning for the return of his family's glory. He knew, deep inside, that that glory would never be found behind a desk or in a book. When would it be his time?

Treasures


Flametongue
Level: 3
Origin: This family heirloom was passed down for ages. When the Sidhe fled the earth centuries ago, the Flametongue accompanied the Embers back to Arcadia. With the Resurgence, it reemerged first in the possession of Hallis Ember. Now it belongs to his son, Lon.
Description: A classic rendering of English-styled long swords, this thirty-five inch long blade boasts a double-edge, honed and crafted from the finest steel dipped in (so the story goes) in the smeltery of a Mediterranean volcano. A faceted carbuncle was afixed to the pommel of the knightly weapon. One the flat of one side of the blade are emblazed ancient fey glyphs in red. They read "The forges of the earth fire the instrument of heaven".
Effects: 1) inflict aggravated damage; 2) add a little extra fire-based damage (as ** Primal, Eldritch Prime)
Glamour Costs: Sword: 0; #1: 1
Activation: When he draws the blade, to activate its power for the scene he must salute in a knightly fashion (raise the sword up, held between both eyes, and an honorable cry for challenge voiced) before attacking his enemies.

Bunk Styles


Style: Arts & Crafts
Examples: Recite Shakespearean dialogue, recite poetry, write poetry

Significant Other


The professor met this rabbit Pooka in university in the 2004 semester, as Julianna Wright attends college while seeking her degree in theatre arts. He was teaching literature as usual, and recognized her fey nature easily. Their professional discussions of stories turned into friendly dates. Dates developed into romance as the younger but more sexually experienced Pooka drew Lon into the wonders of passion and affection. Lon soon swore his knightly love to Jules, but she could not reciprocate it at first. Eventually, however, she found herself craving and needing the gorgeous Sidhe more and more. Finally, she admitted her love to him in turn. Their relationship is hardly tested by their teacher/student relationship, as they keep it secret. But other problems can test their fortitude, as the vampire that stalks Jules has discovered her presence here in Kansas City. So why wait for it, Lon wagered as they moved out to San Francisco? He knew it was time to confront this menace and rid it from he and the Pooka's life forever.

To Lon's dismay, Julianna returned to her easygoing ways around 2009 among the troupe of satyrs with which she'd been raised. A stab at monogamous love had been made but never quite fit. They hold each other in deep affection still. And Lon promised Jules to put an end to the Prodigal threat. But once more, he faced the world without the fierce candle of true love.

Julianna

Significant Other


But perhaps for not too much longer would he suffer alone. In late 2010, he encountered the Eshu actress, stage-named “Allyson Smith”. Her introduced name was Airlea ("Lea") Smythe, but her real name turned out to be Zeena el-Eid however. The pair were drawn to each other’s aesthetic values and soon passion inflamed. Over the next several months, passion blazed ever brighter, until at last the Hindu beauty gave herself to him entirely and he responded in kind. In the heat of it, she found herself pregnant. They took a break from their mortal and changeling duties to retreat together and raise their new family while balancing their needs. In the fall of 2012, Zeena gave birth to twin children, named Jaya (boy) and Nisha (girl). Now, the budding family looks ahead to a brighter future in California and away from all troubles and Banality.

Zeena

Weakness
Burning Candle


How long before the hope and light of a better day that Lon tries to represent is just extinguished? The Liam faces the Undoing in fairly short time. He lives on a tightrope, and the slightest misstep could send him plummeting down into gray Banality. On the other hand, he may feel prompted to rebel against that worldliness and explode like a firecracker. Who knows who could get hurt in the process?

Likelihood of Corruption


Low.

Lon is too gallant, too heroic, to be convinced or tricked into doing evil or harm. His only weakness, his fatalism, may simply cause him to turn a blind eye to something he could actually positively affect. Or worse, it could even effect his self-destruction. But such a flaw is not as easily played upon, and Lon is the quintessential knight.

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